Lewis Hamilton "not quite at Charles Leclerc's level" claim made after F1 testing

Red Bull F1 advisor Helmut Marko has claimed that Lewis Hamilton “was not quite at Charles Leclerc’s level” during pre-season testing.

The 2025 F1 season kicks off later this week at the Australian Grand Prix, Hamilton’s first race as a Ferrari driver.

The seven-time world champion has enjoyed an extensive F1 testing programme ahead of the new season with various outings for the Scuderia in their old cars.

All 10 teams were in action in late-February for pre-season testing in Bahrain, with McLaren being the team to beat heading into the new season.

Hamilton could not complete a race simulation on the final day of the test due to an “anomaly” in the data, resulting in his test ending early.

Dissecting the data at Red Bull, Marko believes Leclerc was “much faster” during the Bahrain test.

Speaking to sport.de, he said: “In Bahrain, Leclerc was the much faster one. But that’s normal. He knows the team, he knows the car.

“Hamilton drove a lot of laps, gradually improved, but was not quite at Leclerc’s level.

“Crucial” qualifying gains needed for Hamilton

One-lap pace was one of Hamilton’s main weaknesses last year as he lost the qualifying head-to-head to Mercedes teammate George Russell.

It was the first time Hamilton had been beaten over an entire season in qualifying since 2014 against Nico Rosberg.

With new teammate Leclerc, renowned as arguably the best qualifier on the grid, Hamilton could be set for another tricky season.

With the fight at the front expected to be tighter than ever, Marko stressed the importance of Hamilton matching Leclerc if he’s going to succeed at Ferrari.

“Only the first race is coming and we know that Hamilton, if the whole environment fits, can improve incredibly. One is a World Champion, the other is chasing his first title, but is one of the best qualifiers,” Marko added.

“And because the field is relatively close together, three or four-tenths of a second difference in qualifying can make up three to five grid positions. And you know how difficult overtaking is these days.

“So from this point of view, it is crucial for Hamilton to be able to evaluate the first qualifying sessions on equal footing with Leclerc. But that’s certainly not easy.”